In a seemingly now-or-never season, the Howard University women’s volleyball team continues to pursue its goal at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament in Baltimore. The Bison, seeded No. 2, got off to a good start Thursday at Coppin State, winning their quarterfinal match against No. 7 Norfolk State, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-15).
Howard will play No. 6 Maryland Eastern Shore on Friday in a semifinal match on ESPN+ at 8 p.m.
Last year, the Bison were the No. 1 seed after going 23-6 during the season. But they fell in the championship match against Delaware State. This year, the team seeks redemption and a new banner to hang at Burr Gymnasium after going 16-10 during the season. They boast a star-studded roster led by seniors and graduate students, including outside hitter Rya McKinnon and setter Leah Reeves.
As a three-time MEAC Player of the Year, McKinnon accepts the accolades and the trust her teammates have in her. But she doesn’t feel added pressure to perform. “I feel like it really does motivate me,” McKinnon said. “It makes me really chase after it more and more.”
Head coach Shaun Kupferberg understands how much the team leans on McKinnon as a leader. “It’s really easy when you give the ball to one person and it works,” Kupferberg said. “Then everybody else is able to pick themselves up from there and grow.”
On Wednesday, Reeves won MEAC Setter of the Year for the second consecutive season, while joining McKinnon and sophomore middle blocker Zenai Jethroe on the All-MEAC first team. Reeves led the conference in multiple categories, including assists per set (10.1), total assists (1,006) and aces per set (0.45) after playing with more seriousness this year.
“I think there’s a lot more urgency, like as a collective, to push ourselves to be better,” she said. “The past three years, we haven’t won [the MEAC championship]. So this year, we’re really locked in.”
Kupferberg and his coaching staff worked on adding impactful players like freshman setter Alexys James, who earned a spot on the All-MEAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team. Kupferberg is proud of his players’ effort this season. “I think we’re growing and we’re developing,” he said. “I don’t think we are a finished product by any means.”
McKinnon said the team takes every loss “more personal” following their heartbreaking defeat in in the championship last season. “We have business to handle, and we really have to go out there and work every time.”
Reeves noticed a difference in communication from last season to now.
“On the court, there’s a lot more constructive criticism,” she said. “Someone will tell me what I’m doing wrong. Another player will tell me what I need to do, and we kind of do that with each other.”
Reeves said some big preseason wins helped shape the team’s culture. Kupferberg said the league schedule helped the team prepare for the postseason.
“Everyone in the MEAC has gotten so much better in the last couple of years,” Kupferberg said. “It’s going to be a tough grind all the way through, and we’ve got to keep working.”
Casaya Achampong is a sophomore Television & Film major at Howard University from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
